The province is taking actions to ensure Indigenous, Black and other racialized children and youth have equal opportunity to succeed and achieve their full potential.

Improving child welfare, education and justice systems to better support children and youth

Indigenous Student Success Fund

Indigenous students are most successful when they have culturally appropriate supports and services. The Indigenous Student Success Fund provides $18.2 million in funding annually to develop and deliver programs in 24 colleges and 21 universities. These supports and services are provided to Indigenous learners in a culturally appropriate manner, including:

  • recruitment
  • Elders-in-Residence
  • Indigenous Student Centres
  • partnerships and community engagements
  • academic enrichment

Children at Risk of Exploitation Units

Children at Risk of Exploitation (CARE) Units are specialized intervention teams of police officers and child protection workers. They identify and locate children and youth ages 12–17, including from Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities, who are being or at high risk of being sexually exploited and trafficked to intervene earlier and provide support and resources.

CARE Units were implemented in Toronto and Durham in 2021. In 2024, a third CARE Unit will be implemented in the Kenora area in collaboration with Indigenous representatives and community-based organizations, children’s aid societies and police services to develop a model that reflects the unique needs of the region.

Youth Opportunities Fund

Through the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Youth Opportunities Fund provides grants and capacity building supports to family and youth-led grassroots groups and system partners serving young people (12–29) to improve economic outcomes and social well-being.

In 2023–2024, $14.2 million in grants were awarded to 39 youth-focused grassroots projects across the province. These grants support community organizations to overcome barriers and create better social and economic outcomes for populations including Indigenous, Black and other racialized children, youth and families.

De-streaming

In July 2020, as part of its efforts to ensure all students can reach their full potential, the government announced the de-streaming of Grade 9 students into applied and academic courses. As of September 2022, all Grade 9 subjects are offered in one stream.

In 2023–2024, the Ministry of Education invested more than $100 million in staffing to hire over 660 teachers to support de-streaming and the transition to high school. De-streaming Grade 9 ensures First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Black and other racialized students, as well as students from low-income households and/or who have disabilities and special education needs have the opportunity to succeed and are no longer limited by applied courses.

Youth Justice Services Redesign for Black and Indigenous Youth

The Youth Justice Services Redesign for Black and Indigenous Youth supports programs that help prevent and reduce the instances of Black and Indigenous youth being involved in the youth justice system. In response to calls from Black and Indigenous communities to enhance culturally relevant programs, a Call for Proposals for new programming was launched in January 2024, and implementation of the new programs is targeted for late Summer 2024. The new programs will help youth, their families, and communities while revitalizing youth’s sense of purpose, self-esteem and value.

Targeted education supports for Indigenous, Black and other racialized students

Ontario funds a variety of programs to enhance educational opportunities for students, including for Indigenous, Black and other racialized students.

Expansion of Dual Credit Programs

This expansion provides additional opportunities for those who face challenges in completing the requirements for graduation or who left school before graduating. In 2023–2024, approximately 811 additional students facing challenges were approved to take approximately 866 Dual Credits in 50 programs, and approximately 172 additional Indigenous students were approved to take approximately 200 Dual Credits in 13 programs.

Licences and Supports for Reading Programs and Interventions

Indigenous, Black and other racialized students are often overrepresented in special education programs. These licenses and supports provide students access to systematic, evidence-based reading programs or interventions for struggling readers. In the 2023–2024 school year, at least 109,000 students benefited from evidence-based reading programs across the province.

Early Intervention in Math for Students with Special Education Needs

Indigenous, Black and other racialized students are often overrepresented in special education programs. The Dedicated Continuing Education Fund for this initiative continues to prepare students with special education needs for a Grade 9-destreamed math environment. Data from 2022–2023 show that, on average, 22% fewer students with special education needs required a modification to the math curriculum and 26% more students with special education needs met the grade level.

Graduation Coach Program for Black Students

Black students are being supported through this program to obtain an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. In 2023–2024, an additional five coaches were added to the program compared to 2022–2023, bringing the total to 41, and the number of school boards involved increased from 22 to 26. In addition to providing direct supports to students, coaches advise leaders at both the school and school board level to help affect system changes so that Black students feel welcome, included and have a better school experience.

Indigenous Graduation Coach Program

This program supports the well-being and achievement of Indigenous students in obtaining an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. The program also provides supports to First Nations students as they transition from federally funded/First Nations-operated schools to provincially funded secondary schools as well as into post-secondary education, training or labour market opportunities. In 2023–2024, a total of 38 coaches were funded in 30 school boards.

Elimination of discretionary suspensions for JK–Grade 3 students

In the past, discretionary suspensions had disproportionately impacted Indigenous, Black and other racialized students, and students with special education needs. By eliminating discretionary suspensions for students in JK–Grade 3, opportunities to develop and practice important social and emotional skills and develop positive views about learning, school, teachers and their community are increased.

Strengthening racial equity in education

Board Action Plans (BAP) on Indigenous Education

The BAP is developed annually by district school boards in collaboration with the boards’ Indigenous Education Council. The BAP identifies and monitors targeted programs and initiatives supporting Indigenous Education within their board. Boards receive funding to support implementation of their Board Action Plans through the Board Action Plan Component of the Core Education Funding.

In 2023–2024, the Ministry of Education is investing more than $118 million to school boards to fund the implementation of programs and initiatives that support the academic success and well-being of First Nations, Métis and Inuit students and build the knowledge of all students and educators on First Nations, Métis and Inuit histories, cultures, perspectives and contributions.

Intensive Human Rights Program for School Board Leaders

Virtual professional learning opportunities for trustees, superintendents and Directors of Education were offered by the Ministry of Education. These sessions provided foundational understanding of disability rights in public education in Spring 2023, and hate activity in schools in Fall 2023, by engaging and consulting with community groups representing Black, Indigenous, Jewish, Muslim, Asian, South Asian, disability, and Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, plus (2SLGBTQQIA+) communities.

Removing barriers and improving access to culturally relevant programs in early learning and child care, education, child development, health, sports and recreation

Black Youth Action Plan

The Black Youth Action Plan (BYAP) was created to help Black children, youth and families across Ontario overcome barriers and address disparities. The BYAP culturally adapted youth programs continue to be successfully implemented across Ontario, providing Black children, youth and their families with culturally relevant prevention and early intervention supports to improve well-being, overcome barriers, and increase their chances of success.

In 2020, the BYAP Economic Empowerment Program was launched as a suite of initiatives to help Black youth acquire in-demand skills to launch their careers and access employment opportunities. In 2023–2024, over 50 Economic Empowerment Programs were funded, serving over 17,000 participants. In 2024–2025, Ontario is investing an additional $30.5 million in the BYAP Economic Empowerment Program.

Community Indigenous Recreation Activator Program

The Community Indigenous Recreation Activator Program supports Indigenous children, youth, adults and seniors to participate in community-driven sport, recreation and physical activity programming to:

  • Improve their physical and mental health and well-being
  • build self-esteem and resilience
  • increase engagement and connection with their community and partners

In 2022–2023, over 10,590 Indigenous children, youth, adults and seniors participated in 354 program-supported activities and events across the province.

Inclusive Grassroots Recreation

In 2023–2024, the Inclusive Grassroots Recreation initiative provided accessible, affordable and inclusive sport and recreation programming for an estimated 25,000 children and youth, creating more opportunities for underrepresented groups, especially children and youth from Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities, to benefit from the positive effects of sport and recreation.

Sport Pathway for Ontario Native Wellness

The Sport Pathway for Ontario Native Wellness initiative supports an integrated network of opportunities for Indigenous peoples of all ages and abilities to participate in sport at recreational levels and advance to their desired level of competition. In 2023–2024, an estimated 5,697 Indigenous persons, including 3,690 youth, had the opportunity to participate in 50 programs, activities and events, including physical literacy and introductory sports programs, youth multi-sport camps, athlete and coach development workshops, regional and provincial sports tournaments and family wellness programs.

Youth Cultural Camps

The Youth Cultural Camps (YCC) program is delivered in partnership with up to 10 Indigenous organizations to support programming opportunities that help Indigenous youth to expand their understanding of traditional knowledge and languages and develop leadership skills through experiential and land-based activities.

In 2022–2023, over 7,900 youth and their families participated in more than 360 YCC-supported activities across the province, including:

  • language workshops
  • traditional drumming
  • gardening and harvesting
  • hunting and trapping

Community partnerships to combat racism, hate and discrimination

The Ministry of Education is working with various community partners to enhance and provide culturally relevant and responsive support, services and resources to students and educators to combat racism, hate and discrimination.

Edge tutoring program

Parents of Black Children provided tutoring services for Black students via its Edge Tutoring Program. Through this funding, 90 kindergarten to Grade 12 students received culturally responsive tutoring twice weekly in French, math and English.

Pinball Clemons Foundation

The Pinball Clemons Foundation partnered in collaboration with the One Voice One Team Youth Leadership Organization to provide mentorship and in-school and after-school programming. This initiative supported a total of 265 students.

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre

To combat antisemitism, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center equipped educators in elementary schools with resources that share stories of Holocaust survivors. The organization noted that participants had reported an increase in educational engagement and a strong commitment to learning and understanding antisemitism.

Focus on Youth

Focus on Youth, a program funded to provide employment, training, mentorship, and wrap-around supports, is a collaborative effort designed to assist secondary school students who face multiple barriers to success, including systemic discrimination/bias.

In the 2022–23 program year, approximately 2,200 students were hired, and more than 79,500 children and youth participated in programming.

Toronto District School Board

Toronto District School Board (TDSB) addresses incidents of school violence by supporting inclusion and engagement in schools. TDSB worked with community partners to expand learning and recreational program offerings. Community partners delivered cross-curricular programming that included learning in literacy, numeracy, and the arts, as well as initiatives intended to support healthy active living, fitness, well-being, team building, leadership, and conflict resolution. More than 4,600 students were engaged in programming, and 15 agencies were involved in the program implementation and delivery.

Student mental health funding for First Nation, Métis and Inuit, racialized and marginalized students

In 2023–2024, programming funding was distributed to various organizations to support underserved communities with culturally relevant and responsive mental health and addiction support and services. The Ministry of Education provided $3.75 million in 2023–2024 to First Nations Political Territorial Organizations, urban Indigenous organizations, and targeted community organizations to provide culturally relevant and responsive mental health, addictions and well-being supports and services for Indigenous, racialized and marginalized students.

Indigenous Youth Entrepreneurship Program

With the support of the Martin Family Initiative, school boards and schools identify and liaise with local business leaders to mentor Indigenous students. For the 2023–2024 school year, 80% of students have completed the program requirements and reported more awareness about how to start a business. As a result of their participation, Indigenous students are supported to succeed in their education or training, entrepreneurial ventures, the workplace and daily life.